


Marks of Family

by Casey_Wolfe



Category: Dishonored (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Family, M/M, Marked!Thomas, Romance, Spymaster!Daud, Tumblr: carvedwhalebones-events
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-11
Updated: 2015-10-11
Packaged: 2018-04-25 19:44:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4973680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Casey_Wolfe/pseuds/Casey_Wolfe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Outsider is fascinated at how some of those he marked have come together to form an odd little family.  Even as different as they are, Corvo and Daud are all these children have in the world, and that makes the crow and his wolf very protective.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Marks of Family

**Author's Note:**

> Naturally I come up with an idea for [Month of the Void](http://carvedwhalebones-events.tumblr.com/)'s Marked Week at the nth hour.  I was inspired by a [beautiful piece of artwork](http://whales-and-witchcraft.tumblr.com/post/130578778317/marked-family-portrait-for-the-month-of-void) by whales-and-witchcraft, and this is what poured out.  Also, yes, I’m implying that the Rat Boy is in fact Thomas.  I wasn’t planning it, however the way the artist drew the boy was very similar to how I’ve seen Thomas drawn by others and thus it was made so.

Corvo looked down at the sleeping child in his arms.  Emily was still so young yet there she was, the new Empress of Gristol.  No child should have had to burden that responsibility.  However she would not be alone.  He was her Lord Protector- as he’d been to her mother before her- and whatsmore her father.  He would keep her safe.

The mark on his hand tingled, flaring to life in a golden glow before fading back to black.  His new gifts from the Outsider would see it made so.  It had only been a few weeks since he’d been visited by the deity he thought mere legend, not nearly long enough to learn his new powers completely but he knew enough to be thankful he now had them.

He had a lot to be thankful to the Outsider for.  Without his intervention it was likely he’d still be in that hellhole Coldridge, framed for the death of Jessamine.  It had been Burrows though; Burrows, Campbell, and their lackies.  He was still unsure how they managed it but then Corvo supposed the fact everyone’s guard had been down with the Empress being in the heart of Dunwall Tower had a lot to do with it- her own Lord Protector off playing with Emily at the time.

Because Corvo was _discovered_ over the body, covered in Jessamine’s blood where he held her to his chest, he was taken away in irons.  It mattered not that Emily herself spoke out against it, that she vouched for his whereabouts.  Burrows was determined to take the heat off of himself at any cost.

Fearing for Emily’s life, Corvo called trusted Captain of the Watch, Curnow.  The man knew Corvo, never believing for a moment he had killed the Empress.  He had no qualms with Corvo’s plan either, agreeing to take Emily from Dunwall Tower under cover of darkness, hiding her in a safehouse and contacting Admiral Havelock.  He and those Havelock trusted would watch over Emily until Corvo was released.

It was that very band of Loyalists that had gone out of their way to secure proof on Corvo’s behalf.  They had taken a great risk in doing so but Corvo was glad of it all the same.  The day he was released- the public outcry too great for the conspirators to ignore unless they wanted to risk a revolt- Corvo had been reunited with Emily and got to thank each of the Loyalists in person.

There had been no missing the look Martin had given him when he saw the mark on the back of Corvo’s left hand.  The Outsider it seemed had been curious- it would have been naive of Corvo to call it sympathy- as to what Corvo would do with his gifts once he was out.  What he did was round up Burrows, Campbell, and the others, his newly crowned daughter declaring them traitors for the death of her mother.  Corvo had never been happier to watch anyone hang.

With the Plague still growing they weren’t out of the woods yet.  Between the Loyalists and his powers, Corvo was confident they could get through it all the same.  Havelock was put in charge of the Navy, Curnow the Watch, and Pendleton rose to Speaker of Parliament, while Martin became the new High Overseer- a posting Corvo was a bit nervous about admittedly given the man’s knowledge of his mark.  Together they would have a united front in support of Emily.  Add to that the brilliant inventors Joplin and Sokolov working on a cure to the Rat Plague and things were looking tentatively positive for once in a long while.

Emily shifted in his arms, snuggling closer.  A soft smile spread on Corvo’s face, fingers brushing hair away from her eyes.  No one else may have known Emily to be his daughter- Jessamine having kept their affair a secret- but it didn’t matter.  He was her Lord Protector and he would see her safe no matter what.

“My dear Corvo,” a familiar voice spoke, the taste of magic on the air as the world slowed around him.  A blue and purple tint fell over the room and the Outsider stood- _floated_ \- at the end of the bed.  “Oh how you continue to fascinate me.”

“Happy to be of service,” Corvo replied dryly causing the deity to laugh.

“You remind me so much of one of my other Marked,” he replied.  Of course Corvo knew there had to be more out there but he had never thought to ask if any resided in Dunwall.  As he was about to voice this aloud, the Outsider beat him to it.  “There are more of you nearby than you think.”

At that Corvo noticed a fiery glow.  Looking down it was not his mark that was alight, but one that etched itself into Emily’s skin.  Her hand was marked as Corvo’s own and he glared at the Outsider as he sat up.  “You have no right!  She’s only a child!”

“A child that came to _me_ ,” the Outsider informed.  “I merely decided to grant her request.”

Just like that the Outsider faded from existence, leaving the world as it had been before- save the new mark upon Emily’s hand.

* * *

“Again!” Daud snapped, shaking his head at his Whalers as they sparred.  The Flooded District may have been abandoned by the masses once the Plague had taken hold of the area, but it had only created the perfect hiding place for the master assassin and his pupils.

“They’re trying Daud.”  He looked up to find a young man sitting on the edge of the roof, one leg dangling off the edge uncaring and the other pulled up to rest his elbow on his knee.  In his hand was a rat, unafraid of the same creatures that terrorized the city.  Then again, that was nothing new.

“Thomas,” Daud acknowledged.  “It wouldn’t kill you to practice yourself once and awhile.”

A twist of his lips was all Daud received in answer.  Thomas had always been quiet though.  It had been years since Daud had found him as a young boy, alone in an alleyway living in filth.  Curiously he was also surrounded by rats.  The Plague had been a new thing at that time in Gristol but still a very real threat, yet there the kid was.

When a familiar symbol glowed on the boy’s hand that held one of the rats, a wolf-like grin split Daud’s face.  He knew there was something special about Thomas- who had no name at the time- and took him in to raise.

It was the beginning of a collection Daud realized.  More orphans had come to him, none of them marked by the Outsider.  Daud molded the young boys and girls into his Whalers, able to share his supernatural gifts with them through a type of bond he still didn’t fully understand.

None of them were his Thomas though, not even Billie who had become his second-in-command.  He may have cared about his Whalers but only Thomas was his.  Blood or no, the young blonde was his son and he would do anything to protect him.

“The Empress announced her new appointments yesterday,” Thomas mused, feeling Daud’s eyes upon him.  “Teague Martin is the new High Overseer.”

Daud flinched at the mention of the man’s name.  They had known each other for years, long before the man had hidden himself away in the Abbey.  No, Martin had once been a Highwayman when Daud was a young assassin, both new to the Isles.  They had stuck close together those first few years but then after Daud had been marked, things had changed between them.  It was what drove Martin to the Overseers, Daud was almost sure of it.

“No doubt the other Loyalists got their promotions,” Daud graveled, leaning against the building as he looked up at Thomas.

Blue eyes gazed back at him thoughtfully.  “Oh, they did.  Even Curnow got something out of it.  But there’s still the question of who will be the new Spymaster.”

“And you want me to waltz right up to Dunwall Tower and offer my services.”

“Why not?”  Rather than simply slip off his perch, Thomas transversed to stand in front of his adoptive father.  “I’m sure the Loyalists will vouch for you.”

Without Daud and the Whalers, the Loyalists wouldn’t have gotten their damning evidence against the conspirators, wouldn’t have been able to free the Lord Protector.  They owed Daud as much as they had received.  Thomas was merely looking out for them all, just as Daud had always done. It was why the master assassin hadn’t taken the job of killing the Empress himself when Burrows offered it to him, guided by a feeling sent by an unseen force.

“You’re not going to let this go until I do something, aren’t you?” Daud inquired.  Thomas only smiled, turning to his rat.  He made a kissy face at the creature before allowing it to climb onto his shoulder.  Daud rolled his eyes.  “Fine.  I’ll send a message to Pendleton.”  He had been Daud’s contact within the Loyalists.

Thomas gave him a satisfied grin before traversing once more, this time to the balcony across the way and then onward.  Knowing Thomas he would spend the next few hours running around the Flooded District.  Practicing with anyone outside of Billie or Daud himself wasn’t the boy’s strong suit.

Then again, he could have been sneaking off to meet with Rulfio.  Daud snorted and shook his head.  His newest apprentice had certainly caught his son’s eyes.  He wasn’t sure whether he should worry about any developing relationship or for Rulfio himself more.

With another sigh, and a barked order for the group in the courtyard to keep practicing, Daud left for his office.  Apparently he had a letter to pen.  He would have Billie take it to Pendleton as soon as he was done so he didn’t have an opportunity to take it back.

* * *

It had not been a full month yet since Daud and his ragtag band of misfits had moved into Dunwall Tower.  Well, in truth only Daud and his son Thomas had technically been given housing there, the man’s _Whalers_ moving into apartments in the nearby Estate District- much to the horror of the citizens that lived there.  However Daud’s spies were at the Tower so often that they may as well have made room for them as well.

Emily was amused by their presence, even allowing them to keep their whaler attire no matter how inappropriate anyone else thought it was.  At least Daud himself had taken to wearing a coat and formal wear more appropriate to a royal court.  Thomas was a different story, seemingly just as difficult to wrangle as Emily at times.

“I wish you would cover that damned thing,” Daud groused when they were alone one day in his office.  Corvo looked up from the intelligence report he’d been given, tucking a piece of hair behind his ear as he gave the Spymaster a quizzical look.  “Your mark,” Daud continued in exasperation.

Corvo turned his hand, as though he really needed to look at the brand to know it was there.  It had been a bit of a shock to learn Daud and Thomas were both marked by the Outsider as well, but then the deity’s words had made all the more sense: “ _There are more of you nearby than you think.”_ However unlike Corvo, Daud hid his mark behind leather gloves, just as Corvo had made Emily do with an array of delicate lady’s gloves- the light blue fingerless ones having since become a favorite.

“I can’t get Thomas to hide his,” Daud complained.  “The fact you do nothing about yours, parading it around in the open, does nothing to help my cause.  If the _Lord Protector_ can be so open an Outsider worshipper then why can’t he be?”

Corvo’s brows fell together.  “It is his choice to-”

“Is it Emily’s?” Daud shot back and Corvo’s frown deepened.  “You have her hide it to protect her.  Well I would have the same for my own child.”

Corvo looked at the former assassin carefully.  The man was a fellow Serkonan though Corvo knew they likely had never met before that day Daud arrived at the Tower.  Despite their shared heritage, and shared experience of being outsiders in Gristol, Corvo couldn’t say they had grown close.  Certainly not close enough to share the secret of Emily’s parentage.

Clearly Daud knew but he also wasn’t about to say anything.  “Frankly I don’t care what you do Corvo,” Daud continued, resignation in his tone, “but when it affects Thomas…”

Corvo held up his hand.  “Peace Daud.  I understand.  I do.”  Daud appeared relieved.  “It’s true that I do not care what people think of me.  I’m a Serkonan who has been Lord Protector to two Gristol Empresses.”  His lips quirked in dark humor.  “I am beyond being stung by their words or actions.”

Daud inclined his head.  “Not even worried about the looks the new High Overseer sends you?”  The twist of Daud’s lips gave away his own amusement.

“I’m not concerned about Martin.”  Corvo waved the very thought away.

“You should be.  He’s crafty and intelligent...  Oh he will leave you be so long as it suits him.  However the moment it benefits him otherwise, well, he would never hesitate for personal gain.”

Corvo could tell the assessment was more than just the result of mere intelligence gathering.  “You speak as if you know him.”

“At one time I did,” the Spymaster answered almost wistfully.

There was a story there, a long and personal one, and Corvo wasn’t about to ask.  So instead he merely nodded his head.  “I will try to remember to cover my mark from now on,” he offered.  “Hopefully it will aid you in convincing Thomas to do the same.”

Corvo tucked the papers into his coat, intending to review them later.  He excused himself, making for the door when Daud’s voice stopped him.

 _No, not his voice,_ Corvo realized.  There was a tendril of magic that wrapped around his wrist, holding him in place.  Daud walked from around the desk, apologizing.  “It’s a habit,” he explained.  “Helps when corralling rowdy youths.”

Corvo smirked at the mental image that created.  He was taken off guard when the tendril released, the ghostly sensation of magic brushing his skin.  He let out a breath of a gasp, feeling a jolt of pleasure.  If Daud caught it though he thankfully said nothing.

“Thank you Corvo,” Daud spoke instead.

His lips quirked into the hint of a smile.  “You’re welcome.”

* * *

The Lord Protector kept his word, although Daud had to roll his eyes at the choice of a black cloth wrapped around his hand like a bandage.  Corvo assured him he’d figure out something more permanent eventually.  Even so it was enough to draw perhaps more attention than having it uncovered did.  Martin was especially amused.

“ _What did you do to your hand Lord Protector?” Daud overheard Martin inquire._

_Daud stopped in the hall, looking into the sitting room where the pair were standing.  “Nothing to be concerned with,” Corvo answered easily.  “A minor injury while sparring.”_

_Martin’s eyes twinkled in amusement.  “You should be more careful.”_

_Daud huffed, stepping into the room.  “Teague Martin,” he spoke, announcing his presence.  “What brings **you** here?”_

_Martin’s eyes narrowed on him.  “Daud.  Still skulking around I see.”_

_Daud’s smile was anything but kind.  “Not so much as you.”_

_Martin scoffed.  Rather than answer he looked at Corvo and excused himself with a curt, “Good day Lord Protector.”_

“ _Not even pretending to like each other I see,” Corvo spoke in amusement once Martin had left._

_Daud answered cryptically, “There’s too much of a past between us to stand on pretense.”  He looked at Corvo.  “Be careful around him,” he warned.  “I would hate to see anything happen to you Bodyguard.”_

Daud didn’t think Martin would actually do anything, especially now that Daud himself was living in the Tower as well.  Martin might attempt to take one of them down but with both together he would have to tread carefully.  There was nothing to gain by taking them on, at least for the time being, and so there was only a minor worry there, but concern none-the-less.

At least since Corvo had taken to covering his mark, Thomas did too.  He used a strip of black cloth at first, much to Daud’s displeasure, but then ended up switching to a single black wool fingerless glove- most likely Emily’s idea.

It may have covered his mark, however it certainly made Thomas no less likely to stick out in their new station.  He still wore the same whaler clothing the rest of his assassins did, sans the mask at least.  Whatsmore he would have his damn rat riding on his shoulder like a prized pet, much to the horror of Dunwall’s elite.  Emily seemed to find it amusing- and Daud would argue he did as well- while Corvo simply shook his head and shot Daud a look.

Exasperated was quickly becoming one of Daud’s default expression and a visit to the Tower from a familiar face did not help in matters.  “What are you doing here?!” Daud hissed at the woman.

“Good to see you too Daud,” Delilah replied with a smirk.  “I came to see my favorite nephew.  And my niece of course.”

Daud lowered his brows.  He knew Delilah was an old childhood friend of Jessamine but word had it that they had a falling out.  Apparently that must not have been entirely true as Emily practically flew past Daud and straight into the woman’s arms.

“Aunt Delilah!”

“Emily,” a voice scolded with a sigh.  Daud looked over to find Corvo stepping up beside him.

“Oh Corvo,” Delilah chastised, “she’s fine.”  She picked the young Empress up, placing her on her hip.  “It has been too long.”

“Too busy with your witchcraft,” Daud huffed.  “And being a pain in my ass.”

Corvo raised a brow.  “You two know each other then?”

“She’s marked,” Daud grunted out.  Corvo was obviously surprised.  “Her coven has crossed paths with my Whalers more than once.”

“You should be thanking me of that after saving Thomas that night.”

Daud growled, nostrils flaring.  He didn’t like being reminded that he had almost lost Thomas during a job.  They had been caught out by a band of Hatters and Thomas had been separated from them during the escape.  If it wasn’t for Delilah’s intervention, Daud regretted to think what would have happened.

Ever since then Delilah had taken it upon herself to pop up at random.  She claimed she was checking in on Thomas.  That and she would bring him little presents.  Daud had drawn the line at the corrupted bone charms she and her coven made however.  He didn’t feel like potentially upsetting the Outsider.

“I expected you sooner,” Corvo told her, pulling Daud from his thoughts.

She frowned.  “I would have been here after Jessamine…”  Delilah couldn’t finish.  Apparently she and the late Empress had indeed kept in touch after all.  “But then they took you in and Emily put into hiding…  I thought it best to stay away.”

“How long have you been marked?” Corvo asked next.  His face didn’t give anything away but so close to Daud he could feel the tension in the Lord Protector.

Delilah only smiled.  Rather than answer, she looked at Emily.  “It looks like you and I have a lot to talk about my dear little one.”

“No bone charms,” Daud growled in annoyance.  He wouldn’t have the witch pulling the same kind of tricks she attempted on Thomas.  “It’s bad enough Thomas went visiting that ol’ hag Granny Rags last week.”  He had returned with _two_ bone charms from her and Daud wasn’t about to ask his son what he’d done to earn her favor for them.  At least Granny Rags’ charms weren’t corrupted, rather infused with power from the Void itself.

Corvo gave him a confused look once the pair had gone off deeper into the gardens.  “Bone charms?”

Daud sighed, shaking his head.  “You got a lot to learn ‘bout the Outsider there Bodyguard.”

Corvo feigned exasperation of the nickname Daud had bestowed on him.  The Spymaster knew better though, knew the man had come to accept it, if not like it.  “And I suppose _you_ want to teach me?”

“I could.”  He smirked as he held up his left hand, sending out a tethering spell.  The tendril of magic came up, wrapping around Corvo’s waist and causing a little gasp to spill from the Lord Protector’s lips.  “Lesson one.  Pull.”  He gave a little tug, pulling Corvo into him.

Corvo didn’t protest as he stumbled forward a bit, ending up in Daud’s arms.  They stared into each other’s eyes for a long time before Daud gave in.  He closed the distance between them, brushing a kiss to Corvo’s mouth.

He checked to be sure he wasn’t about to get punched, finding Corvo’s lips pulling into a little smile.  “About time Daud,” he commented, silencing Daud’s laughter with another kiss.  All he did was slip his fingers into Corvo’s hair, holding them flush together.

Their relationship had grown as time passed, working closely as they did so.  It had been inevitable that they had formed a friendship but somewhere along the line Daud had realized he wanted more.  He told himself Corvo couldn’t possibly have been flirting with him.  Apparently he was wrong.

Above them, where the air seemed to shimmer and warp, the Outsider gave a languid smile.  “Oh how interesting you all are,” he spoke to himself, his power passing through the Void and caressing their skin, able to see them both shiver from the sensation.

The Outsider laughed, disappearing back into the Void.  His marked children in Dunwall were becoming very fascinating indeed.

/End

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on [Tumblr](http://thedenofcaseywolfe.tumblr.com/).


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